How much does website maintenance cost in the UK?

What does website maintenance cover?

Maintenance is the routine work that keeps a live website available, secure and accurate. It is separate from building the site and from adding new pages or features.

Most maintenance falls into the same few jobs. Whether you pay for them or do them yourself, someone needs to be responsible for each one.

• Hosting: the server that makes the site available, and the renewal of it.
• Software updates: the platform, themes and plugins if the site uses them.
• Backups: copies of the site kept somewhere separate, so it can be restored.
• Security checks: looking for problems and putting them right.
• Small content edits: changed opening hours, prices, photos or team details.
• Reporting: knowing the site is up and how it is being used.

What are the ways to pay for maintenance?

There are three common routes, and the cost shifts between money and your own time.

Doing it yourself costs the hosting and any paid tools, plus the hours you spend on updates and backups. It suits people comfortable with their site platform, but the work is easy to forget until something breaks.

Paying a host covers the server and sometimes automatic backups. Updates, edits and fixing problems usually stay with you, so check exactly what the plan says.

Paying a developer covers some or all of the jobs above for a monthly fee. Prices and scope vary between providers, so ask each one for a written list of what is included and what is quoted separately.

How much does Refspan Website Care cost?

Website Care is £49 a month, with no VAT added. It covers hosting, software updates, backups, security checks, up to 1 hour of small content edits a month and a short monthly report. There is a minimum of 3 months, then you can cancel at any time and take the files with you.

Anything bigger than a small edit, such as a new page or a change to how the site works, is quoted before any work starts, so the monthly price does not change without your agreement.

I have not quoted typical UK ranges for other providers here, because I could not verify figures from a reliable public source. Use the checklist below to compare any quote, including mine.

What is not maintenance?

Many disputes about maintenance are really disagreements about scope. These jobs are usually separate from a monthly plan, so ask whether they are included:

• New pages, new features or a redesign.
• Writing copy or producing photography.
• Search engine optimisation work and publishing content over time.
• Paid advertising.
• Fixing a site that was hacked or broken before the plan began.
• Domain registration and email, if they are billed by another company.

How do I compare maintenance quotes?

Ask each provider the same questions and write the answers down. A lower monthly price that excludes backups or edits may cost more in practice.

If you are comparing website quotes as well as maintenance, the guide on comparing website quotes covers build costs and handover.

• Which of hosting, updates, backups, security checks and edits are included?
• How many hours of edits are included, and how is extra work priced?
• Where are backups kept, and how quickly can the site be restored?
• What is the minimum term and the notice period?
• Do I keep the domain, the files and the logins if I leave?
• Does the price include VAT?

Who is Website Care for, and who is it not for?

Website Care suits owners who want one person to look after hosting, updates and backups for a fixed monthly price, and who make only small changes. It is a poor fit if you update the site many times a day, if your site needs a dedicated support team, or if you are happy managing the jobs yourself.

I will check how a site was built before confirming whether Website Care covers it. If you are not sure, send me the address and I will say plainly whether it fits.

Further reading

• NCSC: Cyber security guidance for small organisations
• Google Search Central: SEO Starter Guide